Critical Thinking Skills For Dummies, 2nd Edition

Chapter 15

Presenting Evidence and Justifying Opinions

IN THIS CHAPTER

Spotting everyday unreliable evidence

Questioning scientists

Struggling with statistics

Astronomy is a good example of a “hard” science where many people think that “facts are facts” and opinions are at their best “facts in waiting.” But in plenty of cases, the facts turn out to be a matter of opinion and the consensus view changes over time.

In this chapter I take a thorough look at the difference between facts and opinions, in everyday life as well as in the realm of scientific knowledge, to try to separate those that deserve your respect from those that don’t. I also cover the confusions that can result from numbers and statistics and give you a chance to test run your own critical thinking skills with a real debate: whether those beeping smoke alarms really save lives or just annoy people.

Challenging Received Wisdom about the World

I don’t want to startle you (well maybe a little!) but an awful lot of what people tell you they know for certain is wrong. This section will give you some new perspectives on how facts and opinions become blurred and impact on the decisions you make in your everyday life, ...